Hermetically-sealed receptacle.



J. C. BOWER'S.

HERMETICALLY SEALED RECEPTACLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19. 1911.

Patented Nov. 23, 19 15.

[111 we nloz m m M1115 TTNTTED swans ratrnna o nion.

HERMETICALLY-SEALED RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, T9915.

Original application filed November 19, 1908, Serial No. 463,414. Divided and this application filed May To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN C. Bownns, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in Boston, county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hermetically-Sealed Receptacles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates particularly to th hermetic sealing of cans, boxes, and other receptacles inade from sheet metal, wherein the closure is secured to the body portion without the use of solder, and wherein such closure may be removed without the use of a keyor other tool. The invention adapts itself particularly'to receptacles made oftinplate.

According to my present invention the outer edges of the seaming flanges are of single thickness. The locking face in the seaming flange is formed by producing a groove in the outer face of one of the seaming flanges and a ridge on the outer face of the other seaming flange and the. sealing strip is conformed to the ridge thus formed and an edge seated in such groove so as to provide a tight joint wherein the sealing strip is held firmly inplace The'groove and ridge are preferably formed at the time of applying the strip to the sealing flange. 1 This application is a division of application Serial No. 463,414, filed by me on November 19, 1908, in which application there is broadly claimed the feature of a pair of single-thickness mating indented flanges and a pair of sealing flanges mating therewith. The present invention is directed to the feature of having a free edge of the sealing strip seated in a groove in one of the seaming flanges and of one of the flanges of thesealing strip overlying and mating with the seaming flange. My application Serial No. 628,279, filed on the date of the filing of this application is also a division of the j same parent application, in which divisional Serial No. 628,280.

kind commonly employed in packing fish, meat, and the like. This form of receptacle is selected merely for convenience of illustration.

Figure 1 is a vertical, central, sectional view of a tin box or can, the general form of which is well known, but which has my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 isan enlarged detail view, in section, showing the seaming flanges of the receptacle and closure with the sealing strip applied thereto and bent into sealing engagement. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a somewhat different form, and'Fig. 4 shows the loose assembly of the parts.

The box A, is shown having at its upper edge a seaming flange a, projecting outwardly from the box. The closure B, herein illustrated is formed'with a central depressed portion 1), surrounded by side walls I), which lie close to the vertical walls of the box A, near its upper end, and an outwardly-projecting seaming flange 6 which surrounds the cover and overlaps the seaming flange a, of the body A.

The manner in which the cover may be applied to the body of the receptacle is illustrated in Fig. 4, the flat face of the flange b resting on the flat face of the flange a. After the seaming flanges have been superposed one upon the other, a sealing strip D,

is removably applied to the seaming-flanges.

This strip is preferably made of thin malleable metal which may be easily bent and formed into shape, which shape will be maintained during shipment and storage. The strip will be so applied that when it is desired to remove it and force is applied, it will. yield and separate from the joint. Upon removal of the strip the closure may then be removed.

The strip D, before being connected with the receptacle, is preferably substantially U-shaped in cross-section and is provided with flanges d, d, between which is a channel to receive the seaming flanges. The arch of the sealing strip in the present illus tration covers the free outwardly-directed edges of the seaming flanges. The channel .is shown sufficiently wide to allow the flanges to enter and approximately fill it. The stripis made entirely to surround the joint. In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the ribsand grooves of the flanges are shown disposed medially thereof.

After the parts have been loosely assembled, suitablemechanism, such as properly formed rolls or dies, will compress the strip tightly upon, the seaming flanges. The rolls or dies, by their formation, Will produce in the flanges indentations, producing an inwardly-directed shoulder on one flange and a corresponding recess in the other flange. The seaming flanges are indented one into the other and the flanges of the sealing strip into these. The free edges of the superposed flanges are covered by the sealing strip and held in place by the offsets in the flanges, the inward face of the groove and the inward face of the rib which are located inwardly of such edges The. flanges are formed with indentations, flange a with a rib producing a shoulder 3 and a corresponding groove y in flange 6 By the operation above described, in forming the rib 3 and the groove 3 in the seaming flanges, one flange of the sealing strip is given a similar or corresponding formation; that is to say, it is formed with a groove 2, into which fits the shoulder or rib y, on the flange a. The other flange of the sealing strip has its edge d.turned into the groove y, in the flange 6 By a single operation between properly formed dies or rolls, the sealing strip is applied to the seaming flanges, which are shouldered in such manner as to prevent the strip from accidentally slipping ofl from theflanges, and also an air-tight joint is made,making the use of solder unnecessary either for sealing or securing purposes.

In Fig. 3 the flange a is'indented to form a groove and a corresponding rib 0, at or near its inner edge where it joins the side walls of the body of the can, and the flan e If, is correspondingly formed at,.1'.- T e sealing strip D, embraces the flanges, the inner edge of the upper flange of the sealing strip lying close to the rib or shoulder formed on the flange I), while the inner edge (if of the lower flange of the sealing strip enters the groove 0. In this way a tight joint is also made and there is no danger of the sealing strip being accidentally detached from the box.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a receptacle and a cover, each of these being provided with an outwardly disposed flange, one of said flanges being provided with a medially-disposed groove, and the other with a mediallydisposed rib, and a fastening member pro vided with a. pair of united flanges, one of said flanges extending over the flange having the rib and mating therewith, and the other of said flanges extending over the outer portion of the flange having the groove and having an edge occupying said groove.

2. The combination with a receptacle and a cover, each of these being provided with an outwardly-disposed flange, each of said flanges being provided with a medially-disposed groove, and a fastening member provided with a pair of united flanges, one ofsaid flanges'extending over the flange of the body portion and mating therewith and abutting the body thereof, and the other of said flanges extending over the outer portion of the cover flange and having an edge occupying said groove.

3. The combination with a cover and a receptacle, these being provided respectively with mating, superimposed flanges, the flanges being provided .with medially disposed grooves, of a fastening member comprising a pair of united flanges, one of the fastening member flanges overlying one of the first mentioned flanges and mating in contour therewith, and the other of said fastening member flanges overlying the outer portion of the other of said first-mentioned flanges and having its edge engaged with the metal bent outwardly for forming the groove.

4. The combination with a container having an outwardly disposed flange, of a 010- sure therefor having an outwardly disposed flange ad: pted to overlie the flange on said container, and co-extensive therewith, and a readily removable sealing member of thin malleable metal formed to engage the entire un-ler-s'ur-face of the flange on said con tainer and a portion of the upper surface of the flange on said closure, said sealing memher and said flanges being adapted to be pressed together to form interlocking beads and recesses and provide an hermetic joint.

5. An easily opened air tight receptacle comprising two sheet metal parts having superimposed flanges bent to form a groove, and a' readily removable sealing strip comprising a channel-shaped piece of thin malleable sheet metal surrounding and embracing said flanges and having an edge portion bent into said groove to interlock therewith.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CL BOWERS.

M. E. FLAHERTY. 

